change and resistance to change

8/14/2019 Change and Resistance to Change

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Change and Resis tance to change

by N.Bala jh i , B usiness Consul tant, C onsul tPro

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Change and Resistance to change

by the t ime you know where you ought to go, i t s too late to go there, or,more dramatical ly, i f you keep on going the way you are, you wi l l miss the road

to the future

Charles Handy in The empty rain coat

Change is one of the most popular and widely used terms in corporate circles. I t gets

lot of l ip service. Commonly held not ions of Change are hardly chal lenged. Such is

the reverence for th is word that any one who chal lenges i t in publ ic wi l l be rebuked.

God is revered and so is change. Mere mortals have fai led to come to terms with

both.

Resistance to change is the devi l here. I t reduces the eff iciency of many a change

program and hal ts quiet few of them. Resistance is easy t o address when i t shows up

in fu l l g lare and very di f f icul t to handle when i t is in dark. Change is inevi table and

every organizat ion that aspires to grow cont inuously should adapt to changing

environment and customer needs.

Change or be left behind - The Why of change

Every business organisat ion has a mission, which out l ines the purpose of i ts

existence. To cont inuously del iver on the mission an organisat ion has to adapt and

respond to changes in the environment. I t is akin to a mountaineer cutt ing down his

baggage as cl imbing gets tougher. Any refusal to do so wi l l weigh him down, reduce

his pace and eventual ly make him sign off before reaching the summit. So the choice

is between reaching the summit in a leaner mode and gett ing bogged down with al l

unnecessary carr iages. Those organisat ions want ing to perform and stay ahead of the

pack must respond posi t iv ely to changing needs and dictates of the m arket place. The

choice is change or be left behind.

The above paragraph is not to suggest that any one who doesn t change wi l l per ish.

Let us put i t this way. If something works then there is no need to change that. If i tdoesn t then i t has to be changed. There is no need to panic or fo l low the herd as long

as things are in l ine and working perfect ly. Kinder garden teachers haven t changed

their approach to teaching alphabets as i t works perfect ly wel l to start wi th A for

Apple . Only when apples become ext inct, they should look at some other A let ter

word. So aaa sss lll ooo nnn ggg aaa sss sss ooo mmm eee ttt hhh iii nnn ggg www ooo rrr kkk sss aaa sss www eee lll lll aaa sss aaa nnn yyy ooo ttt hhh eee rrr ttt hhh iii nnn ggg ccc ooo uuu lll ddd /// www ooo uuu lll ddd

www ooo rrr kkk ttt hhh eee nnn ccc hhh aaa nnn ggg eee iii sss nnn ooo ttt nnn eee ccc eee sss sss aaa rrr yyy ...


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Figure 1

CA

B

Good health or bad health - The When of change

When in trouble, change is a popular paradigm. That of course is inevitable and often

done in desperat ion. Change programs / in i t iat ives in t imes of str i fe often get

unenviable support in the form of low morale, depleted resources and discredi ted

leadership. In t imes of str i fe f i rst th ing that wi l l occupy the minds of people is their

own interests and safety (No wonder many change programs fai l ) . We can safely state

that period of t rouble is probably the least fav ourable t ime for ch ange.

The sigmoid curve ( S shaped curve) given below captures various phases of l i fe

cycle of a lmost anybody and anything. The S

curve dips in i t ia l ly as input exceeds output in

the learning phase, gathers momentum and

decl ines after peaking. Often i t is in the decl ine

phase when the realization sets in and change

programs are in i t iated. I f change programs are

init iated at point A as suggested by second S

curve then i t wi l l provide t he best possible environment f or change. I t wi l l a lso ensure

t imel y recovery as the f i rst curve wanes.

If an organisation has a soul, l ike us, then it wil l know when to change and what to

change. In absence of i t ident i fying the point A in the S curve i s lef t to t hose who run

the organisation. WWW hhh eee nnn ttt iii mmm eee sss aaa rrr eee ggg ooo ooo ddd ,,, nnn eee vvv eee rrr www iii lll lll www eee ttt hhh iii nnn kkk iii ttt www iii lll lll aaa lll lll bbb eee ooo vvv eee rrr sss ooo ooo nnn .

The fear that what i f our assumption of nearing trough is unfounded wil l set the

enthusiasts on the back foot. The fear that what i f our change in i t iat ive fa i ls wi l l

permanently lock their feet. I t is a predicament that can be best solved only by a

comprehensive pol icy of change that faci l i tates ident i f icat ion and tracking of t r iggers

of change process.

The fol lowing f igure l ists down some common tr iggers of change for business

organisat ions. They are categorized into external and i nternal t r iggers and further into

few more subcategories. I t is only an indicat ive l ist of t r iggers that may warrant

change in i t iat ives. Each and every i tem l isted in the table requires furthermore inquiry

and deep down probing before embarking on change programs. Some may be strategic

in nature and some wil l lead to operational and tactical actions


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.


Symptoms or Roots The What of change

On the face of i t , the quest ion of what to change may not pose much di f f icul ty.

Suggestions and recommendations wil l pour in the moment a question is posedalongside the tr igger that led to i t . The chal lenge l ies in ident i fying change programs

that wi l l take the organisat ion forward. Every problem / issue / opportuni ty that an

organisat ion faces needs deeper inquiry. One has to get to the root of the problem.

This is easier said than done. Triggers often highlight an area that needs attention

and throw l ight on broader aspects of the same. From there on ident i fying the exact

Triggers of Change Changing prof i le of

bu er s & the ir

Pattern & degreeof serv ice

Marketin te l l igence

Labour re la t ions

at supplier unit

Development ofnew product s /

Enhancedtechnology

Customers

Suppliers

Competitors

Work processes

Pattern ofmaterial

Ris ing qual i typroblems

Increasing WI Pcycle

Technology &support

Conf l ic t inginformation & reports

Instances of fraud& duplicat ion

Policies & Pract ices

Increasing

abnormal

Increasingabsenteeism

Increasingreceivable days

Triggers Triggers

Internal External

Triggers

of

change

Figure 2


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nature of the problem / issue requires series of quest ioning and probing. Consider the

hypothet ical conversat ion, giv en below, between two employees of an organisat ion.

We need to strengthen our service team

Why?

Nowadays the load on the service team is so high that our customers are

increasingly complaining

Surprising. Is it a recent phenomenon?

Yes, these service problems are of recent or ig in.

Are you sure increasing the team size wi l l solve the problem?

Of course yes. We can meet customer complaints on t ime and keep themhappy. Why, you doubt?

Yeah, sort of . Not sure whether that s the r ight way because already ours is

the largest service team compared to our competitors.

You are right. But then what do you think could be the solution.

Lets nail i t . Tell me how come sudden surge in complaints?

Not sure but much of i t concerns our T530 machine, one of our long t ime

breadwinner

What are QA people doing? Are they aware of i t? Havent they fixed it yet?Yes, they know but didnt seem to have fixed it

Hey, now then, isnt i t that T530 production group was moved some six

months back to our erstwhi le T510 uni t that has appal l ing work condi t ions?

Yeah, you are r ight? Awful condi t ions. You know, the ci ty corporat ion has

recently moved the waste composting yard to the nearby site. Poor chaps.

No wonder we have service headaches

What do you mean? What does it have to do with quality problems?

Come on, last week you refused to move your table near the water coolersaying that the place is dir ty and can also be disturbing. You can t even

tolerate that in this cool and posh environ but expect those poor chaps to

work wel l in condi t ions that you, yoursel f state as awful .

Yes man right then, we have nailed it. Havent we?

Sort of, by the way how come this escaped our bosss sight?


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Figure 3

He is busy with new launches that our marketing has l ined up. Also

nowadays he doesn t spend much t ime on T530. May be he is bi t

complacent. I t s t ime I take this story to him else we wi l l lose our long t ime

winning horse.

All the best

Thanks. By the way thanks a lot for your inputs.

Don t ment ion i t . W e are al l one uni t . Aren t we?

If the symptom, increase in service complaints, is t reated with increased team size, a

knee jerk react ion, i t wi l l only act as a pain ki l ler. Pain ki l lers do not cure but only

dodge the real issue. I t wi l l a lso cause side effects through increase in costs and

deep root ing of the real issue. The underlying problem wi l l keep burning and in the

long run become irreparable. Only amputat ion wi l l help sett le matters. Knee jerk

react ions wi l l never help companies in the long run. They can at best be temporary

fixes ti l l the core issue is dug out and resolved.

Bulldoze or Inculcate - The How of change

I f you have answers for why, when and what then just layback, the toughest part of

change process is yet to arr ive. The m ost cr i t ical issue of how of change is a cul tural

one. Change is resisted because those who resist i t do not

l ike i t . Reasons could be anything from not ions of

feasibi l i ty / viabi l i ty to fear of reestabl ishing onesel f .

Resistance to change requires change leaders to show

empathy and not let their b loated egos to bul ldoze things

upon people at the very f i rst instance of resistance.

Bul ldozing of change in i t iat ives on people wi l l very rarely

bear fru i ts and often strengthen the resolve of resistors.

The environment wi l l only become unfr iendly and every in i t iat ive wi l l be blocked just

as in the picture given alongside.

Like beauty and the beholder resistance to change is in the eyes of the proposer.

Even careful assessments and scrut iny by people may seem as resistance i f change

proposals are held close to the heart by the proposer.

Resistance is not al l that a bad word and could even prove to be a blessing in

disguise. Resistance at i ts best can help managements rect i fy errors and


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misjudgements in change in i t iat ives. As mentioned in the foregoing paragraph, even

careful assessment and scrut iny may seem l ike resistance. Therefore once again i t is

rei terated that resistance is not a bad word. Now let s look at some of the reasons

why people resist.

Lack of consensus on the issue that necessitates change

This could be a genuine form resistance and there may not be any speci f ic motivat ion

behind the resistance. Some may think there is nothing wrong with the status quo and

some may agree that there is a problem but do not concur wi th i ts def in i t ion. The

intention should not be to prove them wrong or prove us right, but jointly agree on the

problem and i ts def in i t ion.

A comprehensive dialogue / debate can pave way for understanding each others

viewpoints and lead to consensus. This won t be a big task for the committed leader

and a dedicated member of the organisat ion. However some troublemakers can pose

problems to a change program under the guise of this banner. But then that wil l be

easy to make out once their ideas are sought out. The key here is to share and l isten

to the viewpoints. Be progressive and participative. No room for egos.

Lack of agreement on the solution

Here again the approach should be the same as discussed above. Always keep an

open mind that any one could be r ight. Seek out al ternat ive solut ions when faced with

very st i f f response. Who knows, there could be a gem hiding behind. Part icipat ion and

accommodation are key words in breaking resistance on this ground.

Lack of supporting infrastructure / resource constraints

This should not ar ise i f the management / change team has taken care of what i t

requires in terms of resources to successful ly implement change. Often l ack of certain

knowledge or some short sightedness could lead to th is scenario. Careful ly evaluate

the changed picture i f the claim indeed is genuine.

Lack of clarity on responsibility

This is a problem that of ten creeps up when tact ical measures are implemented to

address certain operat ional problems. I f a solut ion has a gray area in terms of who is

responsible for what then i t is very important that concerned people are clearly

informed of their ro les and responsibi l i t ies. I f required the change team should look at

the or ig inal design of the solut ion and m ake necessary modif icat ions.


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Perceived loss of authority and benefits

This could be ei ther true or fa lse. I f the assumption is fa lse then educate concerned

people on how the changed scenario wouldn t undermine their authori ty or benef i ts.

One may even go a step ahead and project addi t ional benef i ts that wi l l accrue to

concerned people / department as a resul t of successful implementat ion and

execut ion. I f , by chance, the assumption is indeed true then the change team should

clearly state the reason for proposed change and why such a tough decision is

required. It wil l also do well to project the picture that the loss of authority and

benef i ts wi l l only be temporary, i f that s the case.

In the lat ter case there is a possibi l i ty that other parts of the organisat ion may

become apprehensive and their outlook towards management and the company itself

could get altered / infected. So whenever some tough and not so nice change

ini t iat ives have to be carr ied out, the management and the change team should take

care to minimize the infect ion of minds and use every informal channel of

communication to this effect.

Lack of work culture

There is only one way to deal wi th i t . Lack of work cul ture cannot be handled but can

only be dealt with f irmly. If no amount of persuasion and explanation could bring about

the desired genuine change then use force to make change happen.

Fear of getting exposed

I f the c hange team knows i t upfront and the change in i t iat ive / program is designed to

handle i t , then coercion is the only method as this again cannot be handled but should

be dealt with f irmly.

Fear of reestablishing oneself (Insecurity)

Consider a case where one is well established and commands certain degree of

respect and acceptance among peers and superiors. Then out of the blue things are

changed, which cal ls for adapt ing to newer ways / methods of working and learning /

unlearning of things.

This is one of the popular f orms of resistance to change. The degree of dependence is

very cr i t ical here. I f the group that resists on this ground is so important to the

organisat ion then i t wi l l have a tough t ime and wi l l have some hard bargaining to do.

In the other way round people wi l l be subjugated by t he wi l l of management, however

the frui ts of change program may not surface and may be rotten when t hey surface.


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Creat ing awareness and educat ing on the need to change alone wi l l not suff ice. The

fear of securi ty has to be deal t wi th v ery careful ly. Ev ery possible support in the form

of addi t ional t ra ining t han what is actual ly required, some sort of assurance, period of

moratorium f or performance ev aluat ion could help matters. Educat ion, awareness,

reasoning out the costs and benef i ts wi l l help matters here. I f required use a bi t of

force in order to ensure that good intentions are not misused.

Resistance in disguise

I t is a very di f f icul t form of resistance to handle, as i t doesn t assume an easi ly

percept ib le form. I t however can be smel led with meaningless act ions, constant shi f t

in posi t ions, dodging, and i rresponsible react ions to change in i t iat ive(s).

People general ly don t a i r their views i f they fear strong and negat ive react ion from

the superiors / management. Problem may l ie wi th anyone. However to dispel such

fears and also to make sure resistance is expressed, the change team and / or

management should unambiguously make i t clear that no one wi l l be vict imized for

expressing their reservat ions.

I f nothing works then force may probably be the only way lef t wi th f or the change team

/ management. However i f there is some meri t in resistance, which doesn t surface

then the company wi l l be poorer by going ahead with the change program. Therefore i t

is always advisable that no stone is l ef t unturned to detect and br ing ev ery reason for

resistance in ful l glare.

Management fad of the month

Whenever a change program is in i t iated i t must be supported with strong commitment

by the management t i l l i t bears fruit. Management apathy could lead to loss of

momentum and inevi tably loss of focus. The key here is for the management to stay

strong committed and f ocused on the change program t i l l the complete transformation

and desired effects take place.


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Conclusion

Change is complete and highly effect ive only when i t comes from within us. This may

not be possible to achieve total ly i n a complex organisat ion set up. However at least i t

can be ensured that change agents / leaders / torch bearers fu l ly and completely

agree with al l that change intends to do and achieve. Else they themselves may ruin

i t . Therefore choosing r ight people to lead change is paramount to the success of

change in i t iat ives.

Creat ing awareness, educat ion, t ra ining, support , part icipat ion, accommodation are

key words that should f ind place in act ion plans of every implementat ion / change

program. These have posi t ive effect and br ing long term benef i ts to an organisat ion.

Power, coercion, penal action are words that should never f igure in action plans but

only as last resort in cont ingent plans. They wi l l have negat ive repercussions i f an

organisat ion f inds i ts way through them. Limit the use of power / force and maximize

the use of posi t ive act ions. Final ly, there is one word that should have no place or

whatsoever in any change in i t iat ive and in i ts act ion plans. And that s the three let ter

word EGO. I t wi l l do no good and wi l l only ruin th ings. There are plenty of examples in

the environm ents that we l ive and work to th is support th is statement.

---Happy changing, successful changing---

Reference:

1. Sustaining the paradox by Toni Nadig

2. Elephants and Fleas Is your organisation prepared for change by Charles

Handy www.pfdf. org

change and resistance to change

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